Save the Hero
by UpsideofCrazy
Summary: Max has finally destroyed Itex, but she's left all alone in a barren land where no hope grows and no birds fly. One-shot songfic to Save the Hero by Beyonce.


**Fair Warning To All: This story is depressing. At the ending, there is a glimpse of hope, but the majority of it is depressing. Well, the song's somewhat depressing, and this is a songfic! Just thought I'd mention that... And yay! Second one shot! (MR oneshots are fuuuuuuun!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. Or Save the Hero by Beyonce. Or Beyonce. I don't even own the letter "A"! (Sesame Street might, though...) Anyway, I don't own it. Enjoy (sorta) the story!**

* * *

Devastated. That was the only word fit to describe the scene that lay before me. The landscape was ravaged and the earth burned black. Overhead, the stars were barely visible through the thick cloud of dust that hung above. The sky was obscured. It was all my fault.

_I lay alone awake at night  
Sorrow fills my eyes But I'm not strong enough to cry  
Despite of my disguise_

My eyes began to sting, and I realized I was trying to cry; as if I could. I had used up my tear glands long ago, and my body had forgotten the simple mechanism of crying. I couldn't generate tears. Accustomed to holding everything inside, the act of physically showing any sign of weakness was alien to me. It had been for a long time, ever since… since…

_I'm left with no shoulder  
But everybody wants to lean on me.  
I guess I'm their soldier  
But who's gonna be mine_

I press my palms to the sides of my head, trying to erase the memories of them. Her bell-like laugh. His funky digestive track. Her non-stop chattering. His pyromaniac tendencies. His dark shell that hid a gentle person beneath. Even the know-it-all-ness of the smallest member, the one who wasn't even partly human. It was no use. The remembrances swamped me, drowning me in blue skies, sunlight, and feathers of a thousand shades. Sorrow filled my heart. Sorrow and longing, and a faint emotion, one I had long since forgotten. Love.

_Who's there to save the hero  
When she's left all alone  
And she's crying out for help  
Who's there to save the hero  
Who's there to save the girl  
After she saves the world  
After she saves the world  
_

Maybe it's a good thing I left. After all, they would be horrified by the things I do… did. They would only be a hindrance, a nuisance, something to look after. Something to get in the way. Something to distract me with chatter. Something to provide company. Something to keep me smiling. Something I could love-

No! I promised myself I would not regret this decision. It hurt them as much as it hurt me, but it had to be done. If one of them was injured the way I had been or worse…

I'm better off alone. I was the first, and it's the eldest's job to look after the younger, no matter how capable the younger may be. Yet I can't help but fantasize. "What if's" fill my mind, not that there was any chance of them happening. I had already chosen my road and forged my path. They had been left back in the clearing.

_I bottle all my hurt inside  
I guess I'm living a lie_

I force myself to smile. It's just turning the corners of your mouth up, right? It shouldn't be this difficult. My fingers trace my lips. The corners are still turned down. My facial muscles are locked in this position. Trying to move them hurts.

_Inside my mind each day I die_

What's the point in going on? I'm already half-dead anyway. Whenever I took another's life, even the life of a truly evil person, a part of me died. That's a lot of parts.

_What can bring me back to life  
A simple word, a gesture  
Someone to say you're beautiful_

I have to continue. I need one more glimpse of them, one glance just to see if they're alright. I know I'm being selfish, but I need to know. I need to know I killed for a reason. I need to know that they can survive without me. I need to know if _my_ world truly is saved.

_Come find this buried treasure  
Rainbows lead to a pot of gold  
_

The enormity of what I've done finally hits home and I sink to the ground. My eyes are blank, staring straight ahead at the destruction. Did I really cause all this?

I look down, now, to shield my eyes from the horror. I'm scarred enough, inside and out, as is. A glimmer catches my attention, and I move towards it, crawling slowly on hands and knees. It's a pool - a puddle - filled with muddy water. In it I notice a reflection. It shows a creature with bleary, sunken eyes. They're the same shade as the dry earth, and just as lifeless. The long hair hangs around its face, knotted and greasy. It must've once been a beautiful golden shade, but now it's as brown as the eyes, caked with dirt and filth. The cheeks are sunken in, malnourished. The nose is crooked, as if it'd been broken and healed wrong. A miserable looking creature, though once it might've been beautiful. It's seen too much misery and been in too much pain to go back to what it once was, though.

_Who's there to save the hero  
When she's left all alone  
And she's crying out for help  
Who's there to save the hero  
Who's there to save the girl  
After she saves the world (After she saves the world)  
After she saves the world (After she saves the world) (After she saves the world)_

I should be glad, shouldn't I? I mean, I fulfilled my destiny, or whatever. The world is protected, secure, saved. Am _I_, though? Am _I_ really saved? Where is _my_ salvation? Selfish again, I know. But is it really too much to ask? Itex is gone and the people of Earth are safe once more. I've held the world on my shoulders for a year. I've gone through all sorts of pain. I can now say that Hell is neither hot nor cold. Instead, it's empty. It's just you and the darkness. You're all alone. Alone…

_I've given too much of myself  
And now it's driving me crazy  
(I'm crying out for help)_

My mind is long broken. It broke the first time I watched the bombs explode. The first time I knew I had extinguished the lives of hundreds. The first time I knew innocent had died. And the first time I turned my back and flew away.

_Sometimes I wish someone would  
Just come here and save me  
Save me from myself_

Wishing wouldn't help me, yet I couldn't help myself. I wished I could see them again. I wished this task hadn't fallen on my shoulders. I wish I could bring the innocent back to life. I wish I could fly freely again. I wish, I wish, I wish.

I wish someone could save me.

_Who's there to save the hero  
When she's left all alone  
And she's crying out for help  
Who's there to save the hero  
Who's there to save the girl  
After she saves the world (After she saves the world)  
After she saves the world (After she saves the world) (After she saves the world)_

_(After she saves the world)_

In the distance a solitary tree stands - a speck of green in this desolate world. It survived the blast and continues to live, issuing out oxygen to the dead land. Maybe one day grass will thrive here again, flowers even. The muddy puddle will become a clear lake, and ducks will populate its surface.

For now, the harsh reality remains. Blackened ruins, twisted metal structures, cracked earth and only one small tree. My fault.

A slight breeze disturbs the scene and in the distance I can pick out the leaves of the tree shivering. Their rustling is deafening, shattering the mournful quiet. Wincing, I bring up my hands to my ears, wanting to block out the small sound. I look away from the promise of green. Just how many promises had I broken?

Overhead, I think I catch a glimpse of movement. My head snaps up, searching the dark sky hopefully for any trace of them. It's just the cloud moving, though, and I look down, disappointed. Not for long, as the stars draw my gaze back up and I stare in wonder at their bright, shimmering lights. The white moon is full, and she shines gently on my battered figure. The dust clouds are completely gone, and the night sky lights up the destruction before me. Somehow, in the silvery light from the moon, it doesn't seem as horrid. _I_ don't seem as horrid.

When was the last time I ever gazed at a starry sky in peace?

I spread my wings and pick myself up off the ground. It's time I took control of my own life again. The past may never be erased, but I can sure as heck change my future. And I'm going to start by reuniting with them.

I leap up, into the embrace of the stars and find that, for the first time in a long time, I can smile.

_After she saves the world_

* * *

**Told you there was hope! (Even if its sorta miniscule...) Anyway, thanks for reading to the end! If you want to, you can review, but I won't beg for them. (I don't review much -atall- myself.)**

**And no, I will not do a sequel. I like how I ended it! This is a one-shot for a reason!**


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